River's Eleventh
by KAJames
Summary: On River Song's eleventh birthday she fears the Doctor may not come through, but he has something more magical than she ever expected planned. Spoilers for 6x07.


The grandfather clock in the hallway would have struck midnight with a loud and resounding ding which made the wooden floors quiver. However on this particular night the clock was overpowered by the gentle metallic thumping of the TARDIS as it materialized into the small living room. The couple seated on the couch watched as the fifty years out of time blue police box appeared in front of the television. They sat up a little more attentively and waited till the floppy haired bow tie wearing man stuck his head clumsily out of the blue doors.

He turned his head sharply, slightly father than was humanly possible. His face was scrunched with concentration as if he had suddenly remembered something dreadfully important but could not follow through. He pulled a golden wrist watch up to his face and squinted at it.

"Right time," he muttered to himself "right day?" He asked the couple who had not yet moved from their spot.

"Mel's 11th." The husband called out wearily rubbing his eyes with tiredness.

The Doctor's eye lit up wide with the news. He shut the door quickly and opened it once more, stepping out with a tweed jacket and a silly pointed hat upon his head. He stroked the TARDIS with his left hand and muttered affectionately.

"Oh look at you Sexy, reliable and on time. A man could get used to this." He then strode fully into the living room his right hand revealed to be holding the end of a rope. The red headed woman on the couch sat up a bit more.

"Doctor?" she asked sounding very much suspicious of the man's behavior.

"Oh don't worry Amelia. I'll have her back by morning. Centurion." he added addressing Rory and giving him a halfhearted salute. He giggled like a nine year old and bounded out of the living room and towards the stairs. The rope trailed of behind him until a large snowy owl with a letter tied to its feet came swooping out of the TARDIS.

"Is this sensible?" Rory called out in a half bothered, half amused tone.

"You only turn eleven once." the Doctor replied, his voice distant as he was halfway up the stairs. He bounded down the familiar upstairs corridor of the Ponds house and stopped at the door to young River's room.

Like any young child River Song, had not yet fallen asleep on the eve of her eleventh birthday. Instead she had taken a post at the window looking hopefully up at the sky. It was just a story, but River knew the Doctor. She knew that some mad impossible fairy tales were really true and maybe this one was too.

She had heard the TARDIS land downstairs, but she had not moved. The Doctor didn't always meet her in the right order. He might let her down tonight.

Outside of her bedroom the Doctor opened the door slowly and let the owl swoop into the room first.

River's heart leapt at the sight of the snowy owl sweeping into her room. She watched as it turned high above her head making a few circles around the room before the Doctor coaxed it down and onto his arm.

River walked gingerly towards him, she was shaking with excitement. Her Doctor had once again managed a miracle. The owl had a thick off white letter attached to its leg. With his help River pulled it off and took it into her small hands. The letter was heavy and light all at the same time. She sat down on the edge of her bed, feet swaying back and forth with jubilation. Her fingers ran across the emerald green ink of the envelope. This was it, her letter, the one she had always waited for. It was addressed to her exactly, Miss. River Song, 2nd Upstairs bedroom, Pond House, Leadworth, England.

She looked up at the Doctor, grinning from ear to ear as she turned it over to see a wax seal. He was smiling just as wide back to her.

"Happy Birthday River, not every day you turn eleven." He tapped the end of her nose affectionately with his finger and she turned her attention back to the letter.

She opened it slowly, so that it would last a lifetime. Being careful so to not rip the papers inside or damage the envelope. She was vaguely aware as her parents stood watching her in the doorway as she gingerly unfolded the pieces of parchment inside.

In beautiful looping letters addressed to her was the following letter.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Headmistress: Antigone Ashburn (Order of Calisonga Second Class, Head of the Magical Confederation of Cyber-relations, Intergalactic Council of Technology and Mythology)

Dear Miss. Song,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of a necessary books and equipment.

Term Begins on Septa Beta 1. We await your response no later than Theta Hexa 43.

Yours Sincerely,

Gavin Atherton

_Deputy_ _Headmaster_

River looked up at the Doctor with the widest and most mesmerized eyes that he had ever seen on her before. She hugged him in pure happiness, he had most certainly fabricated the letter, but it still made her feel as if he truly cared about her.

"Thank you Doctor. That was a wonderful birthday present."

"Oh that's not all," the Doctor added, standing up and twirling in place. He took her hand and twirled her as well. "Did you think all I got you for your birthday was a silly old letter?"

"But it's not a real place."

"River," he exclaimed in an overly shocked voice "Melody Pond, River Song, Hogwarts not a real place." He scoffed and added softly "I never expected such a brave, such a magnificent girl as yourself to stop believing in Hogwarts. The moment you stop believing River, is the moment you forget."

River did not have the time to retort. The Doctor already had her halfway down the stairs with her hand still clutching onto the Hogwarts letter. He pushed her into the TARDIS and then turned to see Amy and Rory both standing in the living room watching him with large smiles.

"Back by morning" Rory simply stated in a firm and fatherly tone he would come to use on the Doctor in her later years.

"Have fun." Amy replied with a smile.

The Doctor closed the door on Leadworth and turned to see River jumping up and down on the glass floor of the TARDIS console room. He pushed a few controls, sending them in flight in the vortex. He then scooped her up with one hand, something she was getting far too big to do and carried her off to the wardrobe.

"You'll need some wizarding robes." He replied setting her down in front of a collection of medieval and old timey clothing.

River riffled through the clothes. Not talking with him, but rather beaming. In the end she threw a short sapphire cloak with ancient writing over her nightgown along with a pair of boots that were far too big for her. Then she paused looking around the room expectantly.

"I need a hat." River muttered. She walked up a set of stairs and looking at the various hats along the shelves.

"Here," the Doctor said, placing his own pointed hat upon her head.

River took it off and laughed, "this hat is far too silly."

She threw it down on the ground and the Doctor let out a bigger laugh then necessary. She never ever liked his choice of headwear.

"Get me that one down." River said pointing to a red smashed hat on an upper shelf. The Doctor reached it; it would be her own hat one day, the red cap she would receive when she got her Doctorate. He fluffed it out for her and placed it on her head.

"Now you're ready." The Doctor exclaimed. He chased her back to the console room, where River sat in the lone chair while he piloted the TARDIS.

"Magic isn't real through, right?" River let out in a soft whisper as if the mere though could turn them all to dust.

"Look around you River. Magic is possible," the Doctor bent down and looked at her "Sometimes it's just more explainable than in stories. And sometimes it's not. Your father waiting for two thousand years, isn't that some sort of magic?"

"But-Hogwarts" She didn't continue, she didn't really need to.

"The books are fiction, but Hogwarts is more than just a fictional place. It's an idea, a concept, and one day someone decides to build it. All of it, properly like in the books." He reached around his back and pulled a few levers on the TARDIS without looking and River felt the familiar slam of a landing. River looked up at him, unsure of what emotions to have. The Doctor knew she would be okay once they walked outside so he took her by the hand and opened the TARDIS doors.

It was exactly as she had pictured it. Somehow it managed to look both like the castle in the movies and the one in her head simultaneously. Hogwarts was a large castle perched over a still dark lake. It had seven towers spiraling upwards, sparkling stain glass windows, terrifying gargoyles and carved ornamentation. There was a dark and mysterious forest to one side and the outline of a Quidditch pitch in the distance.

River looked up at the Doctor with wide eyes and hugged him as firmly as she could.

"35th Century," the Doctor told her as she still clung on "and this is Hogwarts Castle. Built by hand nine centuries ago; by now it's been fully moved three times and will be another eight more." He was rambling on about the history of the place but River could care less, it was _real_.

"Do I need a wand?" she asked him, jumping at the idea that Diagon Alley might be here somewhere as well.

"That's all taken care of up at the castle." The Doctor replied as he closed the doors of the TARDIS and fondly stroked her goodbye. They had landed on the other side of the lake in the shadow of the school.

"How do we get there?" River asked, but as soon as the question formed on the tip of her tongue and small wooden boat appeared on the shore of the lake.

She ran towards it without question and the Doctor pushed them off, sending them across the lake. River was quiet as they made their way towards the school, but swimming in her eyes were the glimmers of tears of happiness. The Doctor just smiled wildly. There was nothing better than helping a child live out their dreams. They passed through a curtain of ivy and into a small underground harbor, where several other boats and people were climbing out and forming into a queue.

They got in line behind a small family all dressed as Death Eaters. Those in line were all dressed in various manners. Some were in faithful representations of the movie costumes depicting a recognizable character, others simply students. Twenty people ahead were two teenaged girls dressed as Petunia Dursley, and even a few as historical figures in the crowd. Though most had on homemade variations of wizarding garb just as River did. She pulled up on the Doctors hand and he bent down to give her an ear.

"It's not really a school is it?" she asked both with curiosity and disappointment.

"Not in a traditional everyday sense." the Doctor replied, "But you'll see."

The line moved fast, and soon they found themselves within eye sight of the entrance court yard. Placed at podiums were plum clad witches and wizards, each taking Hogwarts letters as if they were ticket takers at an amusement park. River and the Doctor walked up to a pot marked greying man who asked in a growling voice, "Letters please?"

River fetched her carefully opened and folded letter from out of her nightgown pocket while the Doctor plucked out a crumpled letter from the inner pocket of his tweed jacket.

"First year, and a sixth year chaperone" the man replied looking at the Doctor with great suspicion of his age.

"I look much older than I am." the Doctor replied, trying to make his voice crack, but rather failing to do so.

"Wands are off the entrance hall, sorting is in half an hour." The man replied and stepped aside to let them into the court yard. They passed through and River bounded across the paved way and up to the steps of the front door. All around were children and adults were excitedly doing similarly.

Together they pushed the large doors open and walked into the magnificently tall hallway. It was lined with moving pictures and the gloomy sunlight shone in through stained glass windows. To one side were the opened doors to the great hall where people were milling about the many long tables. River only had time to look in briefly and see that there were far more than four house tables before the Doctor whisked her off into a small antechamber.

Little boxes lined the wall where full of, River realized, wands. A man with wiry white hair and slumped shoulders came forward.

"Come for a wand I see." River just nodded, he walked off and began pulling small boxes from the shelves.

"How come it is different than in the books?" River whispered to the Doctor when the wand maker's back was turned.

"They had terrible problems with Diagon Alley. It tended to get lost. One stop shop was easier." The Doctor replied rifling around in his own pockets pulling out his sonic screwdriver, a wizarding hat, the psychic paper, a tomato, a mouse as well as a mahogany wand. He replaced it all with the exception of the wand which he placed in his outer pocket and the hat which he placed on his head.

"Here you go, let's try this" the wand maker replied handing River a short dark wand "Elm 8 inches, centaur hair core. Give it a swish."

River held it in her hand, it felt perfectly ordinary. She waved it and a few boxes came off the shelves. The wand was promptly whisked out of her hand. A birch, willow and cedar wand were all wrong as well.

Finally River was handed a tiger wood wand. It felt warm in her hand, the handle fitting into the palm of her hand perfectly. She extended her arm and pointed the wand at the Doctors silly hat, with a small thrusting motion a jet of sparks flew out and sent his hand tumbling to the ground, with a whole straight through. River smiled at finding her wand, and the Doctor laughed in a moment of remembrance, another hat lost at her mercy.

They walked into the Great Hall, the sky above as grey and cloudy like the morning beyond them; small candles floated in midair yet were not lit. The ceiling and the room arched in the great styles of the renaissance. There were eight house tables the banners above told her that they were overflow.

"Doctor, what house are you in?" River asked as she fell in line with other first years, and a handful of their guardians.

"All of them," the Doctor replied looking up at the enchanted ceiling "Bit tricky to decide which table I sit at, or who to side for in Quidditch matches."

"You've been here before" River said smartly.

"Oh this is my twelfth time." The Doctor replied proudly. River giggled, but was cut short as a woman in golden robes stood up from the staff table and doors closed with a large bang.

"Welcome," She said in a ringing voice like bells sounding from a tower "to Hogwarts." A cheering of applause and whooping broke out in the Great Hall. "I am Headmistress Ashburn, and for one day all of you students will be welcomed into this magnificent school to partake in the magic that it holds. But before you all begin breakfasting, we must have our sorting." Headmistress Ashburn was a dark skinned woman with her raven hair in long tight spiraling locks. She wore a flowing gown which has a double breasted front plate and a layered skirt. It was more Victorian than magical, yet the tiny designs of moons and stars seemed to justify it.

An ashen man wearing orange and purple striped robes came forwards with the raggedy sorting hat and a stool. An excited string of whispers ran through the crowd and was hushed when he pulled out a long scroll and stood patiently in front of them all.

"When I call out your name," he began in jagged and raised voice which made it appear as if he was laughing at his own jokes. "Come forwards and sit down, and I will place the hat on your head.

The long list of names began with a Philemon Aarons who became a Hufflepuff, there were cheers as he hopped down and the next name was called out. It took a rather long time for the students to all be sorted; the clouds above were beginning to thin out when in a ringing voice the words run out "River Song." River rushed up the steps and sat down with a smile. The dusty old hat was lowered onto her head, and she looked up expectantly at the brim.

"Ahhh," the hat began to wheeze in a voice that River knew only she could hear. "Interesting, such potential in so many different areas. Courage runs through your veins, knowledge flows to you across the stars, but cunning anger is present as well. Such a life you will have, had have, you strange girl. Any house could be yours, take your pick Pond."

A thousand thoughts were running through River's mind, for one day only she was a Hogwarts student, and even her choice of house seemed to be weighty and complicated. Slytherin seemed a fit, she had been bred to fit to kill, but she fought it, the Doctor always told her to fight that urge. Ravenclaw, where her brains and Time Lord knowledge could run freely. Hufflepuff was happily in the middle safe and unassuming. Gryffindor, her mother had always told her to be brave and she tried ever so much to be so.

"You decide." River said in a small passive voice.

"Too anxious of what you still may yet still become" the hat muttered. "Perhaps we sort too young. Till then it better be…. Gryffindor." River bounded down the steps and took her place at the table which had burst into cheers. The Doctor followed quickly after her, his feet twisting about as he sat down next to her and ruffled her hair.

"Nice choice." He quipped at the sorting continued on

"You aren't supposed to be here." River said in a small yet strong voice turning to face the Doctor, her little face showing a glimmer of the spunk which she would latter revel in.

"What do you mean?" The Doctor asked in the gentle voice which ones uses when questioning a child.

"This isn't your house table." River replied. The Doctor laughed his great big hallow laugh "You're a Ravenclaw."

"Oh that is brilliant." He added as the sorting had now reached Miranda Weber "Want to do this all on your own."

"Yes please." He smiled and stood up looking down at the child with his ancient eyes.

"Well then Pond, I'll see you at dinner." He stood up clumsily and drifted over to his own table. River turned back around to sit at hers, looking at all the other Gryffindor's and smiling to herself as the feast began.

River spent the rest of the day in classes moving about with other first year students. They went to Herbology where they planted Tentacle Trestles, long vine like plants with golden leaves that would cling onto their handlers if left alone for too long. In Potions they made a color changing solution which turned River's hair bright blue for the rest of the afternoon. In charms they worked on Wingardium Leviosa, to all students delight.

In the afternoon there was care of magical creatures where they all got to pet and feed a flock of cy-Pegasus. In transfiguration they worked on turning hairbrushes into scissors. Overall, River was taken aback at how perfect it all seemed every detail of the school was there. In between classes she took her time walking from place to place watching the moving portraits and searching for hidden passageways. It seemed as if she already knew how to get from place to place the layout was so engrained in her mind that nothing seemed foreign.

Just before the final feast and departure she sat down by the lake underneath a large tree. It was serene yet chilly and she pulled the cloak tighter around her body. Her hair was slowly fading back to its dirty yellow color and the setting sun was turning the sky a brilliant violet with streaks of crimson. It was almost over. Soon it would be time for her to return to her own time, her own world and River didn't want to go.

"Here you are," the voice was familiar the Doctor's. River didn't turn to look at him and he didn't make any moves to come any closer. "I was wondering if you were planning on staying. I was looking for you in the seventh corridor there are some secret hideouts. I figured we could try and find the room of requirement; it's bigger on the inside like the TARDIS. I've always wondered how it works."

He continued on talking about corridors and passageways, and how if he soniced a certain suit of armor near the transfiguration classroom it would rain jelly beans. But River wasn't listening, the sky was getting dark and night was falling. She turned and looked at him over her shoulder. He was wearing Hogwarts robes with three different house scarves all around his neck and a hat with a stuffed eagle perched on top of it.

"I'm rambling." The Doctor said factually as he stopped talking and leaned up against the great tree.

"All this work, this detail for one day. What's the point of coming to Hogwarts if it isn't real; it's just a glorified Disneyland. The sun goes down on one last hurrah and its back to your own bed." For a moment she looked as if she was angry at him, as if she regretted him taking her here. It would have been a first for both of them but the Doctor knew that one day there would be an adventure they would both come to regret.

"There are very few stories River," the Doctor began, not able look at her. Instead he looked out over the man-made lake which contained no giant squids or mer-people, but still seemed just as fantastic as its fictional counterpart. "That survive for hundreds of years. Hamlet, the Odyssey, Moby Dick they are all grown up tales with grown up morals. Children's tales come and go. But the boy who lived, he survived a hundred, two hundred, five hundred years and even more. It became the story that survived, because one generation was so determined to pass it down. Your mother and father were the children at the heart of it. They waited years for those books; they stood in line at midnight and spent summers dreaming of how it would all end. A lucky generation got to grow up with Harry. So when they were old enough they made sure that the next generation fell just as much in love with the tale as they did."

He paused for a moment and took a deep breath before continuing on, "technology had to adapt, and humans had to borrow ideas from other planets and races just to make this possible. That's why it took so long to build the school properly. But I think it's best if we just call it magic, because in a way it is. The magic is in the story and what it does to people. Do you remember when you first got the books?"

"Oh course I do." River snapped defensively. But she bowed her head and continued on softly, "I was six, the guard gave it to me. A huge book like a bible, pages so thin they were almost translucent, writing impossibly small. Seven books in one. He told me to hide it. Told me it was a fairy tale, one I might enjoy."

"And you read it. And you fell in love. Why did you fall in love with it River?"

"Because…." She cried out, but she didn't continue. Did he really need to hear her say it? That she felt a connection with Harry that she wished it was all real and that someone would take her away to Hogwarts. She lived vicariously through every triumph Harry ever had, felt his pain, felt his loneliness like no other could.

"People never stop connecting to Harry. Even when the human race is spread out across the stars; humans everywhere make sure that they have the collection of Harry Potter books, because they just can't live without them. It becomes a beacon of human literature, a timeless fairy tale for children and adults. It lasts River, till the end of the universe people are reading Harry Potter in every language there will ever be."

It had grown dark and the light from the castle was pouring down onto the grounds. Voices were echoing from open windows, laugher mixing with the chirping of birds and the croaking of frogs. To everyone up in the castle, to all the visitors that had come today this place was real. And too all those who came yesterday and those that were coming tomorrow it was real. It was the people who came every day that made Hogwarts what it was.

"It's still not enough time. A day, isn't-" But River didn't finish, she looked down and bit her lip sullenly.

"We can come back. Most people do. But you never have enough time with the people and places you love. I know that all too well River."

River stood up silently and walked over to the Doctor, the feast had started and people were already preparing to leave. She looked up at him her face perplexed with thought. He took her small hand in hers and together they walked up to the Great Hall. She was holding back tears as they walked into the entrance hall, the doors stood opened before them and she could see the merry faces underneath the canopy of candles.

The Doctor knelt down to her level, something she was getting too old and big to need him to do. But he did it none the less so that he could look straight into her shining eyes and speak to her truthfully.

"For generations Hogwarts wasn't a real physical place the magic described in the books was impossible and it always will be. But every time a child reads those books…" He paused choking back tears, and placing a firm hand around her neck so that she was forced to look at him, "or daydreams, or thinks about Hogwarts it becomes one of the most real places in the universe. It becomes a haven, and you know that River. For five centuries human didn't have a chance to come here but every time they closed their eyes and wished…they had never been to Hogwarts, but they had the most spectacular memories of it."

River was crying. Not because she was sad to leave, but because she was happy. It was a story, a story which in the darkest times of her life had been there as a tiny escape hatch. It was her eleventh birthday and she had been so afraid that he wouldn't deliver. But he was her Doctor, and he always came through. She had what most children secretly wanted on their eleventh birthday a Hogwarts letter in her pocket, a wand in her hand and Hogwarts forever in her heart.

The TARDIS landed in the back garden with the familiar vworp, vworp, vworp and Rory looked up from the arm chair towards the clock. It was only one thirty in the morning; they had barely been gone any time at all. He looked across to Amy asleep on the couch a blanket thrown over her, it would be took much hassle to wake her now. Quietly he stood and walked out to the back garden where the TARDIS stood awaiting him.

The door swung open and the Doctor came out followed by a drowsy River. Still wearing her nightgown with an added cloak and hat she ran to her father and hugged him tightly.

"Did you have a good time love?" He asked her as the Doctor was already walking back to the TARDIS ready to take off once more. She nodded profusely.

"Till the next time," the Doctor said. He closed the door and Rory and River waited till the TARDIS had dematerialized before they entered the house.

Up in her bedroom Rory tucked his daughter into bed. Placing the cloak and hat on to her chair he didn't see as she placed the letter and wand underneath her pillow before settling down into bed.

He stood in the doorway at watched her for a moment. Fast asleep her tight curls framed her face as a hand rested on the large collected volume of Harry Potter that sat one her bedside table. Its cover was torn and stained and the spine was greatly cracked. It was damaged and worthless yet she would love that copy all her life. Just as much as Rory loved his own battered set resting on its prized shelf downstairs. As he turned off the light and closed the door, knowing she was dreaming of Hogwarts.


End file.
